In August 2003 a fragile 7 month cease-fire between King Gyanendra, the government he had appointed and the Maoists collapsed after the Nepali army killed 19 suspected Maoist rebels and civilians in the infamous Doramba Massacre. The Civil War escalated even further as the Maoists stepped up their attacks on civilian infrastructure and targeted school children for kidnapping and recruitment into their militia. The international community became increasingly aware of the horrific abuses of human rights being perpetrated by both sides in the conflict [source 'A People War' - published by Nepal Laya].